MANILA, Philippines — The high-stakes Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte has reached a critical focal point at the close of its opening week. The Senate impeachment court formally ordered the issuance of a subpoena to Office of the Vice President (OVP) Chief of Staff Undersecretary Zuleika Lopez, positioning the longtime Duterte confidante at the very absolute center of the intensifying legal warfare.
The development unfolded during the third day of the trial as the House prosecution panel finalized its upcoming witness lineup. Presiding Officer and Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero granted the prosecution’s request to summon Zuleika Lopez, requiring her presence on the witness stand. The decision directly sets up a highly anticipated confrontation, as the OVP’s second-highest official is now legally obligated to testify in the ongoing effort to remove the Vice President from office.
For a news landscape currently saturated with fast-paced political transitions, understanding the exact legal mechanism of this specific summons is crucial. This investigative report breaks down how the upcoming testimony of Zuleika Lopez could make or break the case against the country’s second-highest official.
The Strategic Move Behind the Subpoena
The decision to summon the OVP chief of staff is not a routine administrative step; rather, it is a calculated tactical play by the House prosecutors. Lead managers from the prosecution team clarified that the presence of Zuleika Lopez is essential for examining Article IV of the Articles of Impeachment, which centers on the explosive allegations of grave threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
According to House prosecutor and Iloilo Representative Lorenz Defensor, the prosecution’s schedule for the second week of the trial is tightly coordinated around high-profile testimonies. The panel is slated to present National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) lawyer Jeremy Lotoc first, followed immediately by the appearance of Zuleika Lopez on the witness stand.
The prosecution contends that her position inside the OVP gives her direct, firsthand knowledge of the operational context surrounding the Vice President’s controversial statements. Prosecutors aim to use her testimony to identify, authenticate, and contextualize various items of documentary and digital evidence that have been submitted to the Senate. By putting a member of Duterte’s inner circle on the stand, the prosecution hopes to establish an undeniable timeline of intent.
The November 2024 Catalyst: Root of the Gravity Threats Charge
To fully comprehend why the testimony of Zuleika Lopez is considered a linchpin for both sides, the public must look back to the political firestorm of late 2024. The grave threats charge stems directly from an emotional, late-night online press briefing conducted by Vice President Duterte on November 23, 2024.
During that Zoom broadcast, an intensely protective Duterte lashed out at the leadership of the House of Representatives and the presidential family. The trigger for the Vice President’s fury was the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s decision to cite Zuleika Lopez for contempt and order her detention within the congressional complex. The House panel had accused the chief of staff of undue interference after she reportedly requested the Commission on Audit (COA) to withhold spending reports regarding the OVP’s confidential funds from legislative scrutiny.
When the House ordered her transfer to the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, the situation escalated. Zuleika Lopez fell ill under the immense stress of the confinement, and it was during this exact window of medical and legal crisis that the Vice President issued her now-infamous remarks regarding a purported assassination plot.
The Defense Turnabout: Transforming a Witness into a Shield
In an unexpected twist during the trial’s third session, the defense team, led by lawyer Carlo Joaquin Narvasa, actually accelerated the focus on the chief of staff. The defense team requested and received permission to play specific snippets of that historic November 2024 online briefing right inside the Senate chamber.
The clips showcased an incredibly emotional Zuleika Lopez speaking from her place of detention, where she visibly wept and openly claimed that her life was in imminent danger due to systemic pressure from the House. The defense’s choice to display this footage was aimed at humanizing the OVP staff and establishing a defense of extreme provocation.
The move prompted a sharp inquiry from Senator-judge Risa Hontiveros, who questioned whether the defense was implying that the Vice President’s severe verbal responses were fully excused or prompted by the detention of her aide. Attorney Narvasa answered affirmatively, arguing that the House of Representatives had engaged in an aggressive, systematic pattern of oppression against the OVP staff. From the defense’s point of view, the Vice President was not launching an unprovoked political attack, but was rather reacting defensively to protect a loyal subordinate who was undergoing a severe psychological and physical breakdown while in custody.
How the Defense Strategy Backfired
While the defense intended to use the emotional footage to garner public sympathy and establish a narrative of congressional bullying, the move inadvertently handed a major victory to the prosecution. House prosecutors quickly seized upon the presentation of the video clips to justify their insistence on a formal subpoena.
Surigao del Norte Representative Robert Ace Barbers, a key figure in the prosecution, noted that the defense’s reliance on the video clip made the personal appearance of Zuleika Lopez absolutely indispensable. Barbers noted that since the defense had introduced her emotional state and personal grievances as a formal element of the trial’s context, her actions, choices, and statements were now wide open for comprehensive cross-examination.
The logic is simple: the defense can no longer claim that her role is tangential to the grave threats article if they are simultaneously using her experiences to justify the Vice President’s statements. The prosecution now has a wide open door to question the chief of staff about her exact executive interactions with the Vice President during those tense hours in November 2024.
What to Expect Next Week in the Senate Chamber
As the trial transitions into its second week, the pressure on the Senate impeachment court to maintain efficiency is growing. Senator-judge Bam Aquino issued a strong plea to both legal teams to cut back on lengthy rhetorical detours and streamline their examinations. His appeal followed a gruelling nine-hour session spent examining the trial’s first witness, NBI Senior Agent John Mark Calilung, who stood firm under intense cross-examination regarding the authentication of the digital recordings.
Beyond the upcoming human testimonies, a major battle is brewing over financial documents. Presiding Officer Escudero ordered both sides to submit formal memoranda regarding a disputed subpoena for Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and bank records. The court confirmed that a controversial box of BIR documents had been temporarily returned to the tax agency fully sealed and untouched, pending oral arguments on the matter scheduled for next Wednesday.
The upcoming week will represent a major test of durability for the OVP leadership. Observers note that the testimony of the chief of staff will likely be a defining moment of the trial. If she maintains a rigid front, she may bolster the defense’s narrative of a weaponized legislature. However, if prosecutors successfully navigate her cross-examination, her statements could provide the missing link needed to cement the articles of impeachment.
Key Figures and Witness Schedule for Week 2
| Date | Scheduled Witness | Institutional Affiliation | Core Focus of Testimony |
| Monday | Atty. Jeremy Lotoc | National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) | Digital forensics, video authentication, and threat assessment tracking. |
| Tuesday | Atty. Zuleika Lopez | Office of the Vice President (Chief of Staff) | Context of the November 2024 press briefing, confidential funds correspondence, and claims of institutional oppression. |
| Wednesday | Capt. Belinda Bello | House Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms | Security protocols, detention conditions, and events during the House contempt citation. |
As the nation watches the Senate floor, the impending arrival of Zuleika Lopez ensures that the trial is moving away from purely technical arguments over video files and toward the deeply personal, high-stakes executive decisions that triggered this historic constitutional crisis.
For citizens looking to understand the visual and emotional weight of the evidence currently being debated on the Senate floor, this continuous coverage of the Vice President Sara Duterte impeachment trial updates provides a concise look into the core arguments surrounding the controversial OVP chief of staff.
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